A fallen friend, a clever foe, a soul in limbo...
Summary[]
The witch drags Arthur to her lair and has a conversation with John about her negative views on humanity, ultimately stabbing Arthur to death. In retaliation, John reaffirms that he is his own person and tricks the witch into killing herself. Yorick briefly possesses the witch’s corpse to retrieve the talisman and resurrects Arthur.
Synopsis[]
Distorted voices inform the witch of another person’s movements. As she approaches, she draws her rapier and Arthur is stabbed again.
Yorick explains, presumably to John, that Arthur will likely be kept alive as food for her children. The witch realizes that Yorick’s skull once belonged to her “Prince”, and Yorick confirms. He also reassures the witch by remarking that her children scour the sky above, before being interrupted by John (whose lines are unheard). This confuses the witch, and Yorick reveals John’s presence to her.
The witch drags Arthur back to her lair, whereupon Yorick introduces himself to the witch and tells John that his calls go unanswered. When the witch asks who John is calling for, Yorick begins to describe Kayne, before stopping suddenly. The witch asks if Yorick aligns himself with John, to which he gives an indeterminate reply, and confesses his former title as a Vanguard.
The witch rummages around her supplies and performs an incantation, after which John can be heard. She speaks directly to John, asking him what he is. John insists that they be let go. From Arthur’s out-of-place appearance, he tries to convince her they are not from this time or place, and that they are searching for the Blackstone.
John also introduces himself as the King in Yellow (Hastur, He Who Is Not To Be Named, Lord of Carcosa, Ruler of the Dreamlands) and demands she leaves Arthur alone. The witch does not recognize him and does not care about his or Arthur’s status, so long as she retrieves her talisman. She begins to go through Arthur’s bag.
She retrieves the shaving kit and the Crystallizer of Dreams, though refuses John’s offer for a trade. She has no interest in bartering, as all of these items are hers, and Arthur’s flesh will bear more of her young. John insists upon his godly status, convincing her to look through the Pallid Mask at them.
She does, but remains unimpressed. She asks about the object of Leng, and John explains that it allows you to seek what you desire.
The witch asks how John became trapped. John explains about Great Old Ones, and the witch asks if that is who the men in Castle Kerringford worship. She elaborates by saying that the men from that castle have called out to such beings as her children consume their flesh.
Ultimately, John explains about his rule as the King in Yellow, his attempted traversal into the mortal world, and the disrupted ritual. He explains that his fractured memories kept him from fully possessing Arthur’s body. The witch remarks on John’s lack of power.
John explains that his goals was aligned with Arthur's, so he only fought him when he needed to. After further conversation, John admits he’s grown to care about Arthur, and his own emotional journey with the concept of humanity, including Lilly.
The witch protests at this, noting that the Lilly’s care was intended for Arthur, not John. John refutes this.
John also recollects about his sacrifice to the King to keep Arthur safe, though the witch doubts the meaning behind the sacrifice as John only returned to his other half. The witch rants that humanity is completely rotted. Her mother, Anais Lachlann, was given to the Benedictine monastery in Loiret as an oblate. They tormented her. When she became pregnant, she threw her child in the river to be washed away and drown in mud and filth and maggots. Instead, the witch found her true mother, Mother Darkness. She declares that humanity is a curse on the living and a blight on the world.
The witch asks after the talisman. John refuses to tell her and demands the same of Yorick. Though briefly pressing them both, the witch then asks what became of John’s sacrifice. John admits that he was thrown into the Dark World.
Yorick refers to the Dark World as "death for the undying" and "hell", which makes the witch believe that such an ultimate destination is the rewards for humanity. John refutes this. At her questioning, John admits he lapsed into old habits, building a new kingdom that thrived on fear and pain. John insists that this relapse was merely a case of him hitting bedrock. He made a deal to escape from the Dark World with the same being that asked them to search for the Blackstone.
The witch implies that John is more than the sum of “these parts” (i.e., him and Arthur) and that he is lost. She elaborates that John strives for humanity as a child, but that he is trapped. She contrasts this with his former existence and how he seems to have contented himself with being forgotten.
John declares that he is not forgotten. He admits that he did not tell Arthur about the Dark World, given Arthur’s emotional state in Addison. He helped Arthur through his own bedrock. The witch wonders if this was altruism or selfishness on John’s part.
Lying to Arthur didn’t help, making John feel angry, trapped, and resentful. He worried that his memory was fading due to his time in the Dark World, and from this, he tried to kill a man. The witch approves of this, though John defends that it was a manifestation of his own guilt. The witch is skeptical.
John relates Arthur calling him a child, due to his inexperience with human emotions, and the witch points out that John is physically eons old. John acknowledges his status as an Old One, to which the witch agrees that this anger is his nature, and he has no need for the weaknesses of humanity.
He explains his confrontation with Yellow, that his connection and love for Arthur saved him from becoming a monster like the King or the witch. When the witch points out that he has been a monster for most of his existence, John disagrees: he is John, and he is entirely his own. The witch remarks that John introduced himself as the King in Yellow, and John replies that though he’s been tempted by the title, not any longer, due to Arthur.
The witch offers to help. She draws a weapon and repeatedly stabs Arthur, claiming to free John. Yorick confirms Arthur is dead.
Enraged, John projects from Arthur, though the witch forces him back into Arthur’s body through the power she has over her domain.
John puzzles why he is still here when Arthur is dead. The witch insists that John thrives now, and that he was limited before. John replies that he is alone – and the witch states that everyone is all alone, despite John’s protest.
Through her questioning, he admits that his desire to change came from Arthur, and that he doesn’t know why he initially wanted to leave the Dreamlands.
The witch explains that John will always be the King, that he continues to exist without Arthur and without the hope Arthur instilled in him. Hope, according to the witch, is what all of John’s behavior is about. John believes hope is at the heart of humanity. She likens it to a poorly drawn illusion of goodness; it stands for everything she is against and all that she wants to destroy.
She reiterates that this is all there is – a bleeding corpse of a man that John once believed was his friend, now food for her maggots. She begins to slice Arthur’s stomach open, all the while wondering whether John is tired of this hopeful role he’s been playing.
John begs her to stop throughout, ultimately offering to tell her where the talisman is. He breaks down and agrees to whatever she wants to hear. The witch claims she does not want to defeat him, but give him strength. She offers to make him whole again, stating that John has decided to rob this world of its King, that choosing humanity and hope was a mistake.
John agrees. He affirms that hope is meaningless and chooses to become whole. He introduces himself again as the King in Yellow, to which Yorick replies with: "Hail, to the King."
The witch plans to make Arthur’s body into John’s. John agrees, and tells the witch that Arthur hid the talisman – however, he doesn’t remember exactly where he left it. He advises her to check with the object of Leng, instructing her to hold it to her head.
The witch notes that it is dark. John asks her to think of the talisman in great detail. Once she has done so, John commands her to squeeze the object.
A gunshot sounds as the witch shoots herself in the head – John intentionally misidentified Arthur’s gun as the “object of Leng”. John insists that only he gets to decide who he is.
Yorick and John plan to get Arthur back. Yorick bounces onto the floor, bites the witch’s corpse, and posses her. He leaves to retrieve the talisman.
John addresses Arthur. He explains that he was uncertain whether he will always have a streak of evil through him, or if his attempts to be human make him better than that, to be a force of good for the world. Now he knows he is not fully good or fully evil; he cannot hold himself to the ideals of humanity. He doesn’t fit into Arthur’s version of what he must be, nor is he what he once was. John declares he is entirely his own. He chooses hope and he chooses Arthur. They are whole together – their friendship has saved both of them.
Yorick returns with the talisman. John instructs him to remove the maggots from Arthur’s stomach with the sewing kit. As they do, Yorick suggests that John should tell Arthur what he just said, and John agrees. For the first time, he feels human. Yorick finishes stitching Arthur up, and begins to resurrect Arthur.
After a brief pause, Arthur inhales sharply and screams.
Votes[]
- Chapter 211: Tell the Truth [188] / Lie [89]
- Chapter 212: Give Up the Talisman [52] / Hold Out Longer [221]
- Chapter 213: Manifest [271] / Do Not Manifest [11]
- Chapter 214: Become Whole [15] / Become Entirely Your Own [292]
- Chapter 215: No vote.
Trivia[]
- Yorick's line of "Hail, to the King" is most likely a reference to a line from Army of Darkness, spoken by Ash near the end of the film: "Hail to the King, baby."
- The song that plays at the end of the part is “Come Easy Go Easy Love” by Hoagy Carmichael.